


Guess I wrote a frittata-ing essay

by Anonymous



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Bisexual Eddie Kaspbrak, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Essay kind of thing, Essay?, F/F, F/M, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, I'm the mess here, Lowkey Crack, M/M, Not a fic, Rant, Reddie, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, all about headcanons, i need help smh, i tried to be professional idk, i'm so very sorry, lowkey controversial, mostly complaining, my bois are f i n e, personal opinions, please don't take this seriously im DUMB and GAY, so...much...projection, vent - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23933137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A semi-serious, non-serious, mostly serious formal complaint about fanon vs canon which was written as a joke because I get worked up too easily and it's fucking hilarious.
Relationships: Audra Phillips/Patricia Blum Uris, Beverly Marsh/Audra Phillips/Patricia Blum Uris, Beverly Marsh/Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh/Patricia Blum Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 30
Kudos: 12
Collections: Anonymous





	Guess I wrote a frittata-ing essay

**Author's Note:**

> I DON'T WANT TO OFFEND ANYONE, THIS IS MOSTLY A JOKE  
> this is just because i'm absolutely hell bent on respecting aspects of canon and I wanted to say something, even if that means writing a horrendously long complaint like the true Karen that I am. I do not mean to seem condescending or patronising, nor am I saying that my opinions, headcanons etc are superior, I just worship canon (without all of that eddie and stan dying bullshit, never heard of her)
> 
> Warnings:  
> -criticising gay/bi stereotypes  
> -ranting about people's preferences affecting characters  
> -talking about fetishizing gay relationships  
> -mentions of internalised homophobia  
> -not for those who take things to heart or are easily upset  
> -opinions, so many contradictory opinions

Dear IT Fandom,

In this essay I will be writing about my highly unpopular and somewhat controversial opinions on topics such as characterisation, headcanoned sexualities, relationship dynamics between characters, and why they are important. This essay, or letter, however you choose to view it, is not made to be offensive or to put people down. I believe that people’s headcanons and works are perfectly valid, I just believe that it is good to keep a grasp on the canonical story and characters.

My first point will focus on Characterisation. Characterisation often fluctuates between works and creators, and this is a good thing. I think it’s great that we get new content with different views and stories so often, but there is an issue. Many people project onto characters, which is not inherently bad, it just needs to be acknowledged. When people write vent fics, it’s perfectly fair to be unwilling to label it as such, but when diverting from canonical characterisation and moving onto personal interpretation and projection, it should be stated. New people come to the fandom looking for content of the characters on screen, and most things are labelled as such, when in reality, Eddie will be a depressed femboy and Richie is an emo druglord.

Furthermore, people grow attached to characters, sometimes extremely so. This is relevant to my point as when people view a character a certain way, it can be almost damaging when people change the character entirely and say it’s the same person. For example, I read a fic where Richie had a psychological breakdown and became an abusive, violent sociopath. As well as this, Eddie was an emotionally weak femboy, this completely changed the dynamic between the characters and was clearly aimed at a specific group in the fandom. However, the issue is that it was labelled a ‘highschool au’. I am not saying that this kind of fic is inherently ‘wrong’, or that every separate characterisation or dynamic needs a separate au, only that it should be acknowledged in the tags or description, similar to a disclaimer. It should not be displayed as part of the canonical story, as it may not be what some people are looking for.

Finally, constantly creating content of fanon views of characters obscures the original content for new people, or people who are more attached to the canon content. This isn’t me telling you not to write AUs and fix-its, just to make an acknowledgment when your writing diverges from canon. Examples of this are the ‘Fix-it tag’,’______ AU’ or ‘Trans Richie Tozier’ . These are good as they tell the reader what they are getting and acknowledge their headcanons. Examples of this not being done are fics which do not involve these tags, yet have Richie being a depressed, stoner or fuckboy who has no feelings apart from horniness and anger, and Eddie being a soft feminized twink who sleeps around and cries all the time or something. I don’t have anything against these fics apart from the fact that people accept them as canon when they are not. New people often don’t search for fanon interpretations, and I don’t want the fandom to die so PLEASE, if you write something which focuses on your own headcanons, don’t act like it’s all canonical facts and acknowledge the changes you have made.

Our next subject is headcanoned sexualities. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not looking forward to typing this out purely because this is going to sound so controversial. I am not against any of the sexaulities that people give to these characters, nor am I against changing the gender identities of characters, only the ways that people go about it. I would also like to clarify that I am a lesbian as this contributes to a later point. 

Headcanoned sexualities in our lovely little fandom are often a result of projection, interpretation, and whichever media you prefer. For example, Richie in the novel is often seen as being Bisexual, whereas Richie in the movies is made out to be gay. Although most fanfics include Richie being bi or gay despite them being mainly movie Richie, I think we should talk about why Bi Richie shouldn’t be seen as canon for the movies. I understand that his sexuality is not confirmed, and so I’d just like to say that it is just my opinion Richie should be acknowledged as being gay in the movies, but we do need to differentiate. His internalized homophobia and struggles against pennywise all centre around his homosexuality and love for Eddie. Eddie was his first and only love which is why I think it’s unreasonable to view him as being canonically Bisexual in the novies despite how his sexuality fluctuates between different media. This is because it is made a point of in the movies, and I think we should acknowledge that instead of using the book as an excuse, because chances are that you aren’t writing about the book.

Bi, Pan, or whateverthephuck Richie is written to be is valid, projection, interpretation, whatever other reasoning, but we should embrace that it is in fact that and not canon. Am i saying that you can’t write bi richie? No. Am i saying that you have to make Richie gay? No. I’m saying that Richie’s implied sexuality is different in the movies and the book, so you shouldn’t pick one and say it’s canon because one version of the media says so. Okay so I seem very against Richie being bi in fics about the movies, but the thing is, you don’t need reasons for it. You don’t need to say that you made him bi because of the book, or because all of this evidence says so. Same as with Richie being gay, although that’s very contradictory I just needed to explain my poinT SERIOUSLY I’M NOT A HYPOCRITE I’M N-

Another issue is the stereotypes. Yeah, this point sure is something. I know that people like to make Eddie gay because he’s more stereotypically gay. He’s extra, he wears booty shorts, he’s fucking tiny and basically your dream twink, but why make him gay when he’s the one who had a wife? (I mean, yeah I know about repression, and I think he’s gay) Eddie has more reasons to be bi than Richie, and yet he’s ‘the gay one’. That’s based on stereotypes my friends. Bisexual Richie is also often based on stereotypes, you know, If you’re not a 14 year old who’s crushing on Richie and refuses to make him gay. People are often convinced that a fandom relationship has to be gay character/bi character which often relates to whoever you think tops. But, even if you think Richie tops, and his awkward jokes and probable finger guns are a bi thing, he can still be gay because those are, you guessed it, STEREOTYPES.

And here, my friends, is where my gayness comes in. I think that we should accept that not all of the Losers club have to be gay, and that they also don’t all have to be dating. This is because many people can’t hold off from making Beverly a lesbian. Whether it’s ignoring her canonical relationship with Ben to ship her with OCs and her friend’s canonical wives, or simply making Ben into a trans girl for the sake of a lesbian relationship, it’s honestly wrong. You may do this because of the short haired lesbian sterotype, or her trauma involving men, but that doesn’t make it necessary or any less uncomfortable to read. We know nothing about Patty and Audra, apart from that they married men, and so ignoring that is also blatantly ignoring canon. Although i would love lesbian representation, write a fem reddie au! Make all the losers girls! Just don’t act like it’s just a headcanon when it ignores the plot so much. Especially when you just want to avoid straight relationships, because believe it or not, it makes it easier to fetishize homosexuality and is extremely unrealistic, this is not how representation is done.

And now we’re onto relationship dynamics. These are pretty irrelevant, they just piss me off when they’re done in the stereotypical soft boy/emo way and just kind of accepted as canonical.  
We need to admit that Eddie isn’t some pastel soft boy who cries to Richie and keeps quiet because he’s scared all the time, and Richie isn’t an emo punk who smokes and beats people up and sleeps around with girls to get over Eddie. This is just an exaggerated Dom/Sub kind of dynamic and again, is done for the sake of people finding it hotter. Eddie is not weak, and Richie isn’t some sex-motivated asshole, and seeing them written in such a way with people acting like it’s canon is so harmful to those who take refuge in the characters. People seek comfort in Eddie because he overcame so much abuse and was strong despite constantly being told he’s weak, and they seek comfort in Richie because he deals with so much but keeps joking for the sake of those around him.

Placing the characters in these kinds of dynamics centered on their sexual relationships dehumanizes them, and completely overlooks the way their qualities help people cope, and honestly it’s wrong. Alpha Richie and Omega Eddie I’m looking at you, too much guys, too much. But in all seriousness, stop overlooking the good gay relationship dynamic we were given canonically for the sake of making it all about top/bottom dynamics and sex, that’s so wrong ESPECIALLY when the characters are just teens.

In conclusion, please acknowledge your changes in order to preserve canon, and make sure you respect that what you think of as true for a character, may not be canonical and shouldn’t be labelled as such. This was all basically a joke because i have issues, but please just respect canon by acknowledging your divergence from it.

Sincerely, the most obsessive person here.

(to reach 69)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm like, literally a fetus, with a wife and family, please don't murder me I'm just a dumbass on that next level of unhealthy emotional attachment to fictional characters,


End file.
